Citation analysis of a systematic sample of 27 historical and historiographic articles was used to study the citation patterns of secondary sources in the history of technology. These patterns are compared with previous citation studies in history and other humanities areas and with multi-disciplinary citation studies in the social sciences.…

Describes the conspectus collection evaluation process and its utility to smaller libraries, as demonstrated by the Library and Information Resources for the Northwest project. The discussion includes the costs of this method in staff time, the value of a completed conspectus, and problems with the methodology. (13 notes with references) (CLB)

This study uses the list of periodicals indexed by "Alternative Press Index" to examine the holdings rates of alternative press titles in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries. Results by subject clusters show low holdings rates. The impact on scholars, students, and library collections is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Argues that the internal organization of collection development and the nature of science and scholarship lead to inevitable gaps in collection development. The structural and intellectual causes of collection development gaps are analyzed, and a number of areas whose literatures are especially vulnerable to being ignored or overlooked by…

Describes the use of core journal network analysis and cocited journal mapping for studying the intellectual structure of scholarly fields and for evaluating journal collections to identify the most important titles in a discipline. Journals in the field of genetics are examined, and the use of spreadsheet software is explained. (31 references)…

Offers suggestions for developing a collection policy that promotes the integration of government documents into an academic library's overall collection management objectives. Steps described include selecting appropriate agencies, selecting appropriate levels of collection intensity, assigning intensity levels to agency materials, and adjusting…

Discusses consortium-based licensing as a means of meeting libraries' information resources needs. Topics include information needs, the need for more affordable information, requirements for libraries and for vendors, competition across disciplines, saving money, pricing and market practices, experiences at OhioLINK, and future possibilities.…

Examines the growing body of literature dealing with interdisciplinary academic research and discusses challenges that the erosion of subject-area boundaries presents to those selecting library materials. Reports on a case study that ascertained patterns of interdisciplinary research at Rutgers University's School of Communication, Information,…

Collection development for interdisciplinary areas is more complex than for traditionally well-defined disciplines, so new evaluation methods are needed. This article identifies variables in interdisciplinary fields and presents a model of their typical information components. Traditional use-centered and materials-centered evaluation methods…

Presents the first Canadian periodical price index, which covers foreign and domestic periodicals from 1989 to 1991. Prices by subject categories and by country of publication are presented, use of the price index for library collection planning and budget planning is discussed, and projected increases are described. (12 references) (LRW)

Describes a bibliometric study of the "Nigerian Journal of Microbiology" that was conducted to aid librarians in scientific journal selection decisions. Data are presented on authorship; forms of literature; ages of the literature; ranking of titles included in citations; geographic location of authors; and academic disciplines of…

Discussion of the connection between bibliographic instruction and collection development from a management perspective focuses on a project of data collection and analysis developed at the University of Colorado at Denver's Auraria Library. Information on individual disciplines is compiled and analyzed, and a needs assessment for bibliographic…

Discusses the use of formula allocations for book and serial funds in academic libraries' collection development and proposes a matrix formula based on disciplinary needs and publishing patterns. Variables in the formula that are used to represent institutional goals at the University of Texas at Arlington are explained. (16 references) (LRW)

This guide spells out the collection development policy of the library of St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. The guide is divided into the following five topic areas: (1) introduction to the community served, parameters of the collection, cooperation in collection development, and priorities of the collection; (2) considerations in…

Discusses the choices academic libraries are making between digital collections and maintaining print collections and describes results of interviews with faculty at the University of Michigan that investigated their use of print and electronic journals. Topics include convenience; access; books versus journals; differences between subject areas;…